Urban Food Stories

About

Urban Food Stories

Romania’s Expo Stand at the International Union of Architects World Congress, Durban 3-7 August 2014

Find us on Facebook, Vimeo

Credits

A project by

  • Alexandru Fleșeriu
  • Iulia Hurducaș
  • Eszter Péter

Image, sound, editing

Image, sound

  • Claudiu Moisescu
  • Mihaela Țânțaș
  • Vlad Marchidanu
  • freesfx.co.uk

Website

Translations

  • Oana Bența

Many thanks to

The Ecoruralis Association

  • Ramona Duminicioiu
  • Szőcs-Boruss Miklós-Attila

The Hoștezeni Community

  • Gyurka Jutka
  • Gyurka László
  • Pásztor Gyöngyi

La Terenuri (At the Fields), Mănăștur, Cluj

  • Bogdan Buta
  • Silviu Medeșan
  • Laura Panait

The Pajura Gardens, Bucharest

  • Bogdan Iancu

The Peasant’s Box

  • Mihaela Bar
  • Ronen
  • Andreea Luncașu

Temporary markets

  • George Emanuel Micle
  • Eugen Pănescu
  • Monica Borsai

© 2014

All projects

Food sovereignty and traditional seeds

The Ecoruralis Association

“There is food security when someone throws you fish. There is food sovereignty when someone gives you a fishing rod.“ Szőcs-Boruss Miklós-Attila - Ecoruralis

Video

Ecoruralis comprises over 1000 Romanian peasants who practice traditional and ecological agriculture. The Association is affiliated to the International Peasant Movement (Via Campesina), an international organization which brings together Romanian Peasants, South African farmers threatened by genetically modified monocultures or African people lacking lands and means for producing foods, under the umbrella of the “food sovereignty” concept. As opposed to governmental agricultural policies, based on the food security and food safety concepts, which are synonym to over-production and stiff regulations, the food sovereignty concept “makes sure that the rights to use and manage lands, territories, water, seeds, livestock and biodiversity are in the hands of those who produce food and not of the corporate sector.” (Via Campesina)

The food sovereignty concept is also tested hands-on by all Romanian peasants, as well as by the staff of the Association. The latter, together with the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Cluj and with the help of interns, cater for a garden of traditional seeds, intended for free distribution. The preservation of traditional varieties and their free circulation represent resilient practices supporting agricultural biodiversity and social sustainability, as well as food independence.

“There is food security when someone throws you fish. There is food sovereignty when someone gives you a fishing rod.“ (Szőcs-Boruss Miklós-Attila, Ecoruralis)

Share this article on Facebook, Twitter